A Matter of Life & Death
by TwiAddictAnne
Summary: Summary: He's the charismatic resident, she's the new intern. Where he fears death, she embraces life. Together will they save lives? Or will they perish in the face of death? All Human. Rated for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: None of the recognizable entities herein belong to me, not even Damon. However, the plot is a sole property of Anne Publishing House.**

 **A/N: I'm two days late in posting this. This is a belated birthday present for my sweet little sister from another mister, Klaroline-Deprived. Her name itself is indicative of what she loves the most. So sis, I got you your beloved Klaroline for your birthday. Belated Happy Birthday, baby sis. Love you. xo**

* * *

 **Chapter-1: Prologue**

* * *

Life.

It is a fickle thing.

It's a concept based on hope.

And hope is what he used to believe the foolish live for.

He used to pride himself for his lack of foolish notions.

He used to live life to the fullest because he knew how quickly it can end.

Until _her_.

Like a ray of sunshine, she lit up his world, leaving him blind to anything else but her.

She taught him to hope.

But all he hopes for is her.

Will his hope pay off or will he perish like all the foolish men before him?

* * *

 **A/N: It's a flashfic. So chapter lengths will be about 500-700 words. But that means you'll get daily updates. :)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Wish my little sis a belated happy birthday. :)**

 **See you tomorrow.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	2. Chapter-2: The King of Plastic City

**A/N: Let's meet the man behind the emotions now, shall we?**

 **Klaroline-Deprived, I hope you're enjoying this, sis. Love you. Xo**

* * *

 **Chapter-2: The King of Plastic City**

* * *

He lets his head fall back as he closes his eyes, letting out a groan as lights explode behind his closed lids.

For a moment, he's reminded of childhood cartoons where a character would see fireworks in his head when in a haze. A soft chuckle escapes him as he realizes he too is in a haze … a haze of lust.

"What?" A question breathed against the skin of his stomach is all it takes to snap him out of it. Suddenly, he's all too aware of his surroundings. The rack upon rack filled with bandages and syringes in the supply closet, a blur of red hair between his legs and cold, clammy hands running down his thighs.

 _Damn it!_ He curses internally before reaching down and grabbing the woman by her arms.

A shocked gasp leaves the kiss-swollen lips of the redheaded nurse as he makes her stand up. "Nik, what's wrong?"

Her question doesn't help her case as he stops in the middle of pulling up his scrub pants and glares at her. "You were supposed to keep your mouth shut," he tells her. "And don't ever call me that."

Maybe she doesn't realize that their tryst is up because she tries to wrap her arms around his neck as he says, "I've heard Rebekah call you that."

He slaps her hands away. " _She_ is my sister. _You_ are a nobody. You'll call me Dr. Mikaelson," he replies as he finishes putting back on his clothes.

She looks hurt as she takes a step back from him. "How can you say that? I thought I was special."

He rolls his eyes and says, "Everyone is special, love. And that's what makes them so very ordinary." Taking in her hurt look, he adds in a manner of compensation, "Tell you what, when you decide to get your breasts adjusted so that they are of the same size, I'll give you a discount."

Her hands drop on her bosom and she looks down at them, frowning. "They _are_ of the same size."

"No, actually," he says in a matter of fact tone. "The left one is smaller than the right. Anyway, thanks for your services, Nurse …" he stops and looks down at her name tag before continuing. " … Camille."

With that, he leaves the now sobbing woman behind. He doesn't let it bother him. He's the best plastic surgeon in the West Coast. He's the king of the plastic city.

* * *

 **A/N: I know canon Camille is blonde, but I took the liberty to make her a redhead.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you tomorrow.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	3. Chapter-3: Barbie With A Scalpel

**A/N: I'm super sorry for no updates yesterday. I had internet troubles. :(**

 **Now that you've met the king, it's time to meet someone else. ;)**

 **Klaroline-Deprived, love you, baby sis. :D**

* * *

 **Chapter-3: Barbie With A Scalpel**

* * *

"Are you sure you're in the right place?"

She lets out a huff as she turns around to look at the bespectacled man standing next to her. "Why?" she asks wryly, already dreading his answer.

He leans down and whispers in her ear, "Because it's not a modeling company, Barbie."

She tamps down the urge to kick him in the shin and looks at him with a smile on her face. "Obviously. Otherwise they wouldn't let _you_ in."

A throat clears from behind them and then a soft voice says, "Less chit-chat, girls, we're here to work."

They both turn around to find Dr. Rebekah Mikhaelson, the orthopedic resident they've been assigned to standing behind them.

The guy tries to smile and holds his hand out to the doctor. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm Stefan Salvatore."

Rebekah's eyebrows arch as she looks down at his proffered hand, an expression of distaste taking over her face. "Stefan isn't a very nice girl's name. You should be called something like …" she stops to think for a moment before saying, "Barbara. That suits you better."

Stefan, who has had his mouth open in shock, blinks and stutters, "E-excuse me?"

Rebekah nods at him and says, "Yes, and one more thing, Barbara, I'm Dr. R. Mikaelson, not ma'am. Are we clear on that subject?"

"Yes," his answer is more of a squeak than an actual word.

Rebekah walks up to the first patient to start on her round and looks down at the chart in her hand with the names of all her interns. "Forbes?"

"Yes, Dr. Mikaelson!" the girl responds as she steps around Stefan to get to the doctor.

"Caroline Forbes?" Rebekah questions.

She nods in answer. "Yes."

With a glint in her eyes, Rebekah points to the patient behind her. "I believe in hands-on learning. So, Dr. Forbes, let's see how you do. The patient needs an I.V. line to get started on fluids as a prep for surgery."

Caroline swiftly moves to the patient and takes a look at his chart before setting to her task. When she lifts her head from the now secured I.V. line, she sees Rebekah's mouth lift in a smile. "I see you are having a better first day than some of the girls who plan to start their career by bitching about others," she tells Caroline with her eyes fleeting to look at Stefan for a moment.

Just before moving on to the next patient, Rebekah offers a smile to Caroline. "Welcome to the team, Dr. Forbes."

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you tomorrow.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	4. Chapter-4: Hell on Earth

**A/N: Internet in my place sucks. Honestly. :(**

* * *

 **Chapter-4: Hell on Earth**

* * *

Three weeks after starting her internship at the hospital, Caroline sits in the cafeteria, cursing the day she decided to go to med school.

"What's up, buttercup?" Her friend since high school and fellow intern, Elena, asks as she plops down next to Caroline, holding a tray of food.

When Caroline doesn't rebuff her name-calling like always, Elena looks at her friend closely and asks, "Care? What's wrong?"

"Dr. Mikaelson isn't human!"

Caroline's outburst makes her eyes widen in shock. After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Elena says quietly, "Well, I heard Nurse Camille say the other day that he was like a possessed demon in the sack, but I never expected you to have sampled that already."

It takes Caroline a second to realize who her friend is talking about before she scrunches up her nose and exclaims, "Ew! Gross, Elena. How could you even …?" She stops mid-sentence and shudders before starting talking again. "I wasn't talking about the N. Mikaelson, I was talking about R. Mikaelson. You know my mentor of sorts? Why would you even think about me having sex with a resident?"

When she watches Elena's cheeks redden at her question, she gasps. "Oh my god! You …?" She can't finish her question as she sees Elena lower her eyes. "Mikaelson? Really?"

Now it's Elena's turn to gasp as she puts a hand on Caroline's mouth, hissing into her ear. "No! Not, him! It's um … Damon."

"Salvatore?"

When Elena nods in her response, Caroline asks again for clarification. "Damon Salvatore? Barbara's brother and the resident neurosurgeon?"

"The same."

"Wow," Caroline says before looking at her best friend, and then both of them are giggling at their reactions, her bad day forgotten already.

* * *

However, her bad day turns worse when she watches both of the Mikaelsons walk toward her. If she thought Rebekah acted like a slave-driver with her interns, she now looks like a demented witch as she makes her way to Caroline.

"Alright, let's make this quick," Rebekah says in a no nonsense voice. She looks at Caroline and says, "Forbes, for the next week you will be working with my brother, Nik."

A sly smile comes over the man's face as he looks at his sister. "Oh come now, baby sis, you could've done worse." When Rebekah pointedly ignores him, he moves his eyes to Caroline. "Forbes, I presume?" He asks.

"Caroline Forbes," she answers, feeling a little intimidated by his presence.

"Ah! A delight," he says, giving her a smile so bright it could possibly lit up the entire city of Seattle. "Niklaus Mikaelson," he introduces himself. "Or as I prefer, Dr. Mikaelson."

"N. Mikaelson," Rebekah says before he could continue. "Don't go by my brother's charms, Forbes," she warns the younger woman. "He's a dick through and through."

The way Nikalus smiles at her description of his character makes Caroline feel wary of him.

"Dr. Mikaelson," she says.

"Yes?" Both of them answer at the same time.

Closing her eyes, she curses her foolishness and starts again, looking at Rebekah. "Dr. Mikaelson, I don't understand. Why the sudden change? Did I do something wrong?"

It's Niklaus who answers her. "Oh no, love! You see, my sister pawned you off in a game of darts last night. So for the next week, you'll be working with me."

"Darts?" Caroline can't believe her ears.

Rebekah sighs and says begrudgingly, "I pawned off my best intern, Forbes."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better," Caroline mutters, feeling hurt.

"Just get through the week and come back to work with me," Rebekah says, her eyes apologetic. "I'll go insane with Barbara otherwise."

Nikalus claps his hands together, smiling at both women. "Right. It was a pleasure, baby sis," he tells Rebekah before looking at Caroline. "Dr. Forbes, be on time tomorrow. I hate tardiness."

As Caroline watches him walk away from her, she fears that she has just been handed over to a demon by the slave-driver.

The hospital really is a piece of hell on earth.

* * *

 **A/N: Klaroline-Deprived, I'm so sorry for the late update, sis. Hope you're enjoying this.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **See you tomorrow (if I can get internet to work)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	5. Chapter-5: Who Doesn't Love A Challenge

**A/N: Hey, guys! So I should say update at every possible day instead of daily updates due to the absurdity that's my internet situation.**

 **Klaroline-Deprived, don't sue me, please? Me loves ya. :***

* * *

 **Chapter-5: Who Doesn't Love A Challenge**

* * *

He watches her as she changes the dressing of the patient, her fingers nimble but sure.

She smiles at the patients when she passes them. She ruffles the hair of the little boy with burn injuries when he let her check his injuries without crying. She's like a ray of sunshine, and she hates him.

When he got into this little wager with his sister, he expected nothing aside from the pleasure of annoying her, but then Caroline came, and things changed.

Even though he has been living his life in a ruthless manner for the past few years, he has never faced any problems dealing with women. He has a way of charming his way into their hearts and then into their pants. He's the lady-killer in all his glory, but Caroline Forbes doesn't even seem to notice him.

"Whoa! Nik, you'll scrub your hands raw, man." The sound of his best friend and colleague, Damon's, voice makes Klaus come out of his thoughts and he lets the soap slip from between his fingers.

"Hey," he greets back his friend and looks up to meet his concerned eyes. "I'm fine, Damon. Don't even start."

"Start what?" Damon asks, looking far too innocent to actually be innocent.

"Going all Dr. Phil on my ass and trying to analyze my eyebrows or some shit."

Damon lets out a loud guffaw at his friend's petulant voice. "So there _is_ something to analyze then?"

Huffing at his incessant manner, Klaus finally says, "It's a new intern."

"Oohh ..." Damon's eyes glimmer as he nears him and pokes him with his elbow. "Do tell. Now that I've found a girlfriend, I want to live vicariously through you."

Klaus looks at his friend with disgust. "You're a pig."

"Takes one to know one," Damon disses right back. "Now spill. Has she become addicted to Little Klausy there?"

Holding up a finger, Klaus stops him. "Damon, you're my best friend and all, but _never_ and I mean NEVER, nickname my dick again." He waits until Damon gives him a boy scout salute and then says, "She isn't like others man. She's either blind or into chicks."

That gets Damon's attention. "She's blind and yet an intern? That's cool."

"Not literally, you ass," Klaus snaps. "But she doesn't react the way everyone does when I stand close to her. She's not affected by me at all."

"So she has selective blindness to Niklaus Mikhaelson?" Damon asks, his mouth stretching into a grin. "Why, Nik, I think she is affecting _you_ in a way no one ever has."

"You're a fucking asshole," Klaus responds with a scowl.

Just then the door to the prep room opens and Elena Gilbert, Damon's intern, looks in. "Dr. Salvatore, we're all ready for you," she says with a secretive smile. The way Damon grins as he looks back at her tells Klaus that the whole procedure is an elaborate foreplay for them until they can fuck each other's brains out. And that's the first moment Klaus envies his best friend.

* * *

"I hear you're having issues with Forbes, brother," Rebekah says in greeting as she walks to sit with Klaus for lunch.

It only takes him a moment before realizing who must have ratted him out. Softly cursing under his breath, he glares at his sister. "I swear you and Damon are like the gossip girls."

Rebekah lets out a chuckle as she takes a drink of her coffee before looking at her brother. "So it's true then? She's not giving into your so-called charms?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "I don't know what this is, Rebekah. I've never felt like this … this challenged before. She defies me, she challenges me with her wit and then she ignores me. I don't know what to do about it, baby sis."

"She's a good person, Nik," she replies in a soft tone. "If you really like her as more than a one-night stand, I suggest you man up. I've never known my brother to shy away from challenges before."

At that moment, a few tables across from them, Klaus watches as Nurse Lockwood sits down next to Caroline. His eyes narrow at the sight of them together and that's when he decides that he's going to fight.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	6. Chapter-6: Big Baby

**A/N: Sorry! My internet has been playing peek-a-boo with me lately. So sorry for late update.**

 **Klaroline - Deprived, love you always.**

* * *

 **Chapter-6: Big Baby**

* * *

"Go out with me," Nurse Lockwood says as he drops his ass on the seat next to Caroline.

Caroline is taken aback for a moment by his sudden appearance. She exchanges looks with Elena before looking back at him. "Are you talking to me?"

Lockwood rolls his eyes and says, pointing his drink at Elena, "That one is banging the boss, everyone knows that. So yes, I'm talking to you."

"Oh!" Caroline blinks. "Are you ... asking me out?"

Lockwood looks offended by her question. "Why is so hard to believe? Because I'm a male nurse and you're a doctor? Yes, I asked you out."

"Oh! Um ..." She looks at Elena in a silent plea for help and that's when she catches the blue eyes of Niklaus staring at her. In her attempt to escape him, both physically and mentally, she smiles sweetly at Lockwood, making sure her smile is visible to the onlookers. "Sure ..." She takes a quick peek at his name tag and continues, "Tyler, I'd love to go out with you. Tonight? I'm off duty at seven."

"Sweet!" He smiles back at her. "I'll meet you at the entrance then."

Caroline watches as he walks away until …

"Ouch! Elena!" She cries out, glaring at her best friend. "Why did you kick me?"

"To make you wake up. Are you even aware of what the just happened?"

"Yeah. I have a date tonight," Caroline answers with a shrug.

Elena looks completely serious as she counters her. "He's a nurse, Care. A _male_ nurse.I'm not trying to be a racist here, but he's all muscles and no brain."

That makes Caroline chuckle. "Relax, will you? It's just one date. I'm not marrying the guy. I need to get out of my head tonight."

Her last statement makes Elena smile sympathetically at her. "Why don't you give _him_ a chance?" she asks, pointing in the direction of the piercing blue eyes. "Maybe he's not _that_ bad."

Without her permission, Caroline's eyes stray back to the man who has been in every waking thought she has had in the last two days—Niklaus.

"He's a pig … a jerk."

"Why? Because Camille said so?" Elena counters. "There are always two sides of a coin, Care. You should give him a chance to tell his side too."

Caroline looks at him again, only to see him smiling and openly flirting with Victoria, the OB/GYN resident. She stiffens at the sight and says, "He has to earn that chance, Elena."

* * *

By eight thirty that night, Caroline finds herself cursing the moment she agreed to go out on a date with Tyler Lockwood.

As her inebriated date pokes her ass with the cue stick, trying to hit the numbered ball among cheers of his friends, she throws a mental fist at him for good measure.

As it turns out, her and Tyler's definitions of a date varies by a lot. While she expected a meal at a respectable restaurant, he brought her to a hole-in-the-wall bar where they had greasy burgers and beer before his friends showed up and he got roped into playing pool.

Unable to take in the stares she keeps gaining from the drunken man sitting on the bar, she calls for rescue, aka, Elena.

When Elena arrives with Damon on tow, Damon offers to kick Tyler's ass for her, but all Caroline wants is to go back to home and curl up in her bed. She and Elena manages to calm Damon down enough to drive back to the apartment she shares with Elena.

Before falling asleep, she curses Klaus Mikaelson for her disastrous date. He is the reason she went in the first place. _Stupid blue-eyed plastic man,_ she grumbles into the night.

* * *

The next day at the hospital is not what she expects. Klaus orders her to measure a patient's penis because they're to perform a surgery for penile enlargement on for him.

"Are you really asking me to hold his … thingy?" Caroline hisses to Klaus, cornering him in the ward.

"Not just hold it, love, measure it," Klaus tells in his cheery voice. "I hope it will lessen your disappointment from last night."

"What?" She's dumbstruck by his words.

His face remains void of emotions as he says, "I mean to say that after you had your introduction with Tyler Lockwood's … _thingy_ … last night, I thought this would be a good way for you to forget about the disappointments of that introduction."

She feels her cheeks redden in anger. For a moment she wonders if she could kick him in the balls and run away before anyone could see that, but then she discards the thought. Instead, she steps closer to him and says through gritted teeth, "You are an asshole."

"I've heard that one before. It's almost always followed with dick or douchebag."

His nonchalance at her anger serves to make her explode. "Yeah? Well, judging by the way you're acting," she says sharply. "You're an asshole and a big baby."

As she's walking away to, much to her chagrin, measure the patient's penis, she hears him say, "Now _that_ is something new."

 _It's confirmed, Klaus Mikaelson is the biggest jerk on the planet._

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Ohh and if you're a Potterhead, you might like to check out my new Harry Potter fic, Levitate Toward You. :)**

 **And in another news in crazy town, I've started a joint venture with my fic-wifey, Shae, in form of a blog. We'll post book reviews, fanfic recs, Shae's poems, and random flashes from yours truly. If you're interested, follow us:**

 **www . scribbleralliance . wordpress . com (remove the spaces before you hit go)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	7. Chapter-7: Politics & Heartbeats

**A/N: So I've been threatened by my giftee to be sued unless I update. *Sighs***

 **I just wasn't sure anyone was reading this story or not … anyway, Klaroline - Deprived, here ya go!**

* * *

 **Chapter-7: Politics & Heartbeats**

* * *

"Dr. Mikaelson, hey!" Niklaus tries to tamp down his irritation at the approaching figure as the man he has recently grown an irrational amount of dislike for runs up to him. "Hi!" Tyler Lockwood says with a smile, breathing hard.

Raising an inquiring eyebrow, Klaus remarks, "Nurse Lockwood, for your sake, I hope you didn't stop me to simply say hi."

Obviously taken aback by the hostility in his eyes, Tyler starts to stammer. "Dr. Mikaelson, I uh … I was wondering … umm … that is, if you don't mind ..."

"Spit it out," Klaus finally says, his irritation increasing by the second.

Tyler straightens up. "I was wondering if you have selected a nurse for your recent case. I was hoping to get a chance to work with you."

Klaus feels a smile creep up his face as he takes in the man standing before him. _Pathetic_ , he thinks. _Why on earth did she go out with him anyway?_ Scrutinizing Tyler closely, he says with a shake of his head, "No, that's not it. You are not interested in my work, Nurse Lockwood."

"No, sir, I am fascinated ..."

He cuts the man off mid-sentence with a flick of his hand. "No, you aren't. In fact, a few weeks back, you were heard to be boasting about the fact that even if you have to be a guy nurse, you don't have to fix anyone's boner."

He narrows his eyes at Tyler, daring him to contradict him, when he doesn't, Klaus continues. "You see, Lockwood, being a nurse isn't bad. It's a noble profession to help take care of the diseased and distressed. And the same goes for plastic surgery. It might seem unimportant to you, but I work to improve people's quality of life. Learn to respect our professions before you prance around the place with that stethoscope around your neck."

Tyler's face darkens and he looks down, but Klaus isn't finished. "As for the new case of mine," he says, "You're only interested because the patient is a Senator's wife. You wouldn't give two shits if you didn't want to get into her good graces. So the answer is no, Lockwood. Under no circumstances would I take you on my team."

When Tyler creeps away from him, his face is red like a tomato, and that makes Klaus feel better about his day already.

"That was quite a tongue-lashing."

The sound of her voice from behind him makes his smile drop. Slowly, he turns around to find Caroline standing behind him with a chart clutched in her hand.

"Caroline," Klaus greets her with a smile, focusing his charm on her. "I'm sorry if I hurt your boyfriend there. I've never been interested in politics, you know? Now do you have my measurements?"

" _Your_?" She looks him up and down, her eyes lingering on his crotch long enough to make him hard and then she smiles sweetly at him. "I'm sorry. I haven't measured _you_ , but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd probably say three inches? Or is that far too much?"

He feels his mouth fall open at her words. _That vixen!_

Without acknowledging his dumbstruck look, she flicks her hair to the side, slams the chart in his hands and says, "The patient's measurements are in the chart." And then she walks away, leaving him slack-jawed and more turned on than he has felt recently with just her words.

* * *

The rest of the day, Klaus feels like he's on the edge. Worst of all is the knowledge that Caroline Forbes hasn't left his mind since the moment he chanced upon her.

He remembers Damon's advice when he confided in his best friend. "You need to get laid, man," he had said. However, the thing is until now, all women around him were simply means of getting off but now, now all he wants is Caroline. _Will the craving end if he has a taste of her?_ He wonders as he watches her walk to the supply closet.

Suddenly, an insane thought of putting his theory to test takes hold of him. The head over his shoulder reminds him that this can be a possible ground for workplace harassment, but he ignores that and lets his heart lead him.

* * *

Stepping into the supply closet, he closes the door behind him. "Caroline," he says softly, more to alert her to his presence than for anything else.

She turns around, his name coming out in a gasp from her lips. "Klaus!"

Emboldened by her saying his name, he takes a step forward; then another and another until he's standing right in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asks.

"What I've wanted to do for some time now," he whispers. Then, with his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest, he closes the distance between them and presses his lips to hers.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


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